Wyatt's Story

One night can change everything. Wyatt Banks went to sleep
as a happy, healthy 7-month-old who was meeting all his developmental milestones
ahead of schedule. However, the next morning, he was unable to move and
he was struggling to breath. There was no accident and no warning. He had suddenly
become a rag doll. His arms and legs dangled from his little body. He could no
longer bear weight on this legs. He couldn’t sit up on his own and could no
longer hold his bottle. His parents, Jason and Abby Banks, were terrified and clueless
to what was happening to their infant son.

Jason and Abby took Wyatt to his pediatrician who
immediately sent Wyatt to the emergency room of their local hospital. Wyatt was
admitted to the hospital where doctors struggled for three days to determine a
cause for Wyatt’s condition. After running out of options at his local
hospital, Wyatt was transferred to Children’s Hospital of Greenville Health System. That is where everything
changed.

Following an MRI, Dr. Addie Hunnicutt diagnosed Wyatt with a
one-in-a-million autoimmune disease called transverse myelitis. Wyatt’s immune
system had attacked his spinal cord, creating inflammation that left him paralyzed
from the neck down, and there was no guarantee that Wyatt would ever get
better. Dr. Hunnicutt started Wyatt on a 5-day course of strong IV steroids to
stop the autoimmune attack.

While in the PICU, Wyatt received his steroid treatments
follow by and IVIG treatments to help restore movement. Wyatt grew stronger
daily. His breathing improved greatly and arm and hand movement began to
return. Wyatt was even able to begin physical and occupational therapy while he
was still in the PICU which is essential in recovery from transverse myelitis.
Wyatt spent two weeks in the PICU before being released to an inpatient
rehabilitation facility.

Despite a good recovery, Wyatt is still a regular visitor to GHS Children’s Hospital and it's doctors. Specialist in neurology, pulmonology,
sleep medicine, and urology monitor Wyatt’s medical needs to keep him healthy
and thriving. Today, he is a paraplegic and a full-time wheelchair user, but it
doesn’t slow him down. He is an energetic four-year-old who loves popping wheelies
and going fast. He also loves attending school and taking part in adaptive
sports like wheelchair tennis and adaptive surfing. None of this would be
possible without GHS Children’s Hospital. Wyatt would have been forced to watch life go by
from a bed, totally dependent on others to care for him had it not been for GHS
Children’s Hospital.

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